Crimson Tourniquet
by Makai Tenshi
Summary: AU. Civil War era. “Just what is the key to survival here?” Hiei crushed the bottle beneath his feet before answering quietly, “Kill or be killed. It’s how I’ve lived all my life, and it’s how you’ll have to learn how to live.”
1. April 1, 1862

** Crimson Tourniquet**

By: _Minuiko_

Summary: AU. Civil War era. "Just what is the key to survival here?" Hiei crushed the bottle beneath his feet before answering quietly, "Kill or be killed. It's how I've lived all my life, and it's how you'll have to learn how to live."

The only reason I wanted to write this was because I wanted to write something where the Tantei meet for the first time, because there are NO stories where they don't know each other. No specific pairing, although there will be slight bits of implied KuramaHiei. Oh yeah. And their ages have been slightly altered; Yusuke is sixteen, Kurama is eighteen, Hiei is eighteen, Kuwabara is sixteen, and anyone else will be anonymous until I choose to reveal their ages. Actually, I just don't want to type it all here, so… yeah.

General, Action/Adventure. PG-13. Some angst/death in later chapters.

!#$&

Chapter One: April 1, 1862

!#$&

Kill or be killed. Live only for yourself. Divide and conquer. Strength is the only thing to strive for in the world. Friends are a crutch for the weak. The weak are the food for the strong. Crossing the boundaries is forbidden. Slaves are forever to stay slaves, and masters always reign supreme. These are the rules of the world, or at least, of the continent. Remember that if you want to live, boy. _Bullshit_. The dark-haired boy nearly growled as he stared, incomprehensible, at the slip of paper he held in his hand, but refrained from it as he stalked out of his shady corner into the sunlight. Just outside the door of the apartment, a taller teen demanded from him in a breathless voice, "Did you get it too?"

!#$&

"Yuusuke! Ugh! Are you skipping work again?"

Keiko's voice rang through the barnyard, before she turned on her heels with a huff and grabbed the old, worn rope just outside the huge wooden door. Climbing up onto a stack of hay, she stood to her full height, her hands on her hips. As she opened her mouth, about to rebuke the insolent boy who was lounging on the straw with a stalk of oat in his mouth, he told her quietly, "Save it, Keiko."

Something wasn't right. "Yuusuke?"

The usually bright, teasing lights in his eyes were missing. He turned determined eyes onto her, before taking a deep breath and saying, "I got drafted into the Union army. The telegraph was sent yesterday."

"Are— are you serious? Really, Yuusuke?" Keiko wasn't prepared to accept this fact. This was Yuusuke here— he was her childhood friend, he was only sixteen, he couldn't have been drafted, he _wouldn't go, _he couldn't! She knew that he could get killed, or worse, captured or enslaved or tortured or-or— whatever else those evil Rebels did to people they captured! "Yuusuke?"

He was slightly annoyed as he answered, "Yes, I'm sure, and I have to go. Today. Now."

Suddenly, she clung to him, afraid to let him go, but knowing that once his mind was made up, even if it wasn't a government order, he'd go through with it. He held her for a moment, his eyes understanding, saying, "Look, you don't have to worry yet, Keiko… we first have to start with military training, so I'll be safe and sound," she could tell he was teasing her for her concern, but this was _no_ laughing matter, "for the first two months I'm gone. And by then, the whole bloody war will be over, and then everything'll go back to what it was before this war ever happened, okay? So don't cry."

Her voice was muffled in his clothing as she retorted, "I'm not crying."

But they both knew that the war would last much longer than just two months, and that he was saying that just to comfort her. It wasn't okay with her; how could it be? But they had to live with it. They stood in that pose for a few more moments, before Yuusuke whispered fiercely into her chocolate-brown hair, "I _will _come back. Wait for me."

Keiko's eyes lowered as she let go of him. As her grip slackened, she told him, "I will wait."

!#$&

Yuusuke looked around the station. They'd go, it seemed, by railroad to a designated camp, and from there, train for two months in proper attire, equipment, rules and regulations, and the like. He yawned. Especially after the scene he'd had with Keiko a while ago, this, this _waiting_, was _so_ boring.

"Gimme back my cat, shorty!"

This was coming from a tall, well-built, broad-shouldered, and orange-haired teenager no older that Yuusuke was. Except… _not as well built as me_, Yuusuke mused to himself. _Not as good-looking as me either. _He wasn't a narcissist like his landowner's son, Shishiwakamaru (Shishi for short), but no one could deny that he had a good face and a good body. _Must be all the farm work…_

The "shorty" that the orange-haired boy had yelled at was a limber, black-haired boy who was obviously not a kid, but strangely, barely came up to Yuusuke's chest. He had a face that was recognizably austere, but was currently smirking at the said orange-haired boy. "Make me."

"Damn you, shrimp! Eikuchi!"

Yuusuke found himself starting to smile in spite of himself. He watched them with interest, but made no move to help either the black-haired boy or the orange-haired one, though personally, if it came to it, he'd help the orange-haired one. The black-haired boy looked more competent and able to defend himself. A light voice behind Yuusuke said with apparent amusement, "They're always like that, although Hiei isn't usually so open."

Yuusuke turned abruptly. A tall, slender boy with long crimson hair that was tied up into a loose ponytail was smiling at him, one hand reaching towards Yuusuke. Yuusuke noticed that he was wearing a blue military uniform with a badge that told the world his rank and name: _First Lieutenant Minamino_. He looked back into the bright face. "My name is Shuuichi Minamino. My friends call me Kurama. I'd like you to do the same."

Yuusuke grinned back, taking the offered hand, replying, "Yuusuke Urameshi."

Kurama still kept the polite smile in both his face and his green eyes as he explained about his accomplices who were currently running in circles. "The black-haired one is Hiei Jaganshi. He isn't very talkative, but he bites back, so don't get on his bad side. No, actually, let me rephrase that. It's good to know what hits him hard, because you can't make friends with him any other way, but don't overdo it or you're dead. Literally. The orange-haired one is Kazuma Kuwabara. To be brutally honest, he's a cat-lover and just as lacking in brains as any teenager at sixteen— and you can take that any way you want to. He's easier to talk to than Hiei off the bat, and has a good, honest heart, although you might think of it as a weakness. The rest, you find out by yourself."

Yuusuke noticed that Kurama didn't mention anything about himself, but bit his tongue on that. If Kurama didn't want to talk about it, then he didn't need to dig for answers. Besides, he'd basically given away his two friends' entire personalities, not that it'd be of any advantage to Yuusuke. But he was nice about it. And that had to count. Yuusuke was just about to explain who he was and where he was from when the train whistled, the signal for them to get on. The black-haired boy— Hiei, Yuusuke reminded himself— threw the cat to Kuwabara with a small, almost condescending, frown, as though he was disappointed that Kuwabara couldn't get it back by himself, and walked towards the train right besides Kurama, silent.

_Red_, Yuusuke realized with a slight jolt. _He has red eyes. I thought that was supposed to be demonic._ That was stupid— of course red eyes were demonic. And come to think about it… _Kurama's eyes are just a shade too bright for green…_ they were nearly emerald. But that was, well, _acceptable, _Yuusuke thought. Kuwabara had normal, black eyes, and his own were a dark shade of brown. _And why am I fussing about appearances like some Miss Priss, alias, Keiko?_

Yuusuke followed in their wake as they formed a line with the other men getting onto the train. Yuusuke just looked forward without a word until he heard a familiar, snobbish voice yelling his name. _Oh shit…_

"Yuusuke Urameshi! Is that you, goatherd boy?"

"_Lord_ Shishiwakamaru. Why am I not surprised?" He gave a little, mocking bow, ending with a pathetic attempt at an elegant flourish. Shishi smirked and told him, "I wasn't expecting _you_ to be here, but that aside, did you follow me just to show your loyalty to your master?

"If I remember correctly, I never pledged loyalty to you in my life. You're just my family's landlord's son."

Shishi replied, "Well, you should pledge it. Have you seen such beauty as mine anywhere else?"

Yuusuke just shook his head sadly and scoffed, "Narcissist."

They were nearly at the door when a middle-aged, dark-haired female cried out, "Shuuichi! You forgot your lunch!"

Yuusuke turned a curious face to the scene. _Lunch? No one else has brought their lunches…why the hell would we need them anyway? We're supposed to have enough to eat in order to fight, right? Even if we're just in training…_

Kurama didn't look abashed, as Yuusuke thought he would've— how many nearly grown men had their mothers still pack their lunches for them?— he merely smiled softly and thanked her. She was still holding another package in her hand, which she thrust into Hiei's arms, beaming.

"Yukina sends her love, Hiei! As do I, to all of you. I hope that you'll be careful?"

Yuusuke didn't rain in on their little picnic, but silently whistled. _Whoa-o-oa, Hiei! Who's Yu-ki-na? _Okay, that was a bit too assumptive; he didn't even know who this Yukina was. Kuwabara seemed to be frowning a bit when the girl's name was mentioned in the first sentence with regards to Hiei.

Kurama's mother, whose name was Shiori, Yuusuke realized, said everything so cheerfully, yet beneath it was a mother's worry. After all, the Union had already lost the battle of Bull Run to the damn Rebels, and many soldiers were killed. Yuusuke had never really paid attention to the number of casualties; he just knew there were a lot. Kurama looked tenderly at his mother as he answered, "I will. Thank you again, Mother."

Yuusuke coughed lightly into his hand, "Mother's boy!" at the touching yet utterly sappy scene as Shiori Minamino tearfully exchanged her goodbyes with her son and waved her handkerchief. They finally boarded the train without interruption. Hiei and Kuwabara didn't make a sound as Yuusuke sat in their compartment, next to Kurama.

The small compartment was cold and metal, but otherwise rather cozy, with just enough room for four grown, 200-something-pound men, and the four of them weren't very big save for Kuwabara. Yuusuke suddenly realized what an idiot he'd been for laughing at Kurama and the lunch exchange— by his third hour on the stupid train, his stomach was growling so loud the next compartment could hear it. He was also a farm boy, so money was something to be careful with. He had no idea how his mother managed the money, with her somewhat licentious and carefree ways, but she did. He didn't have much money on him, and he couldn't exactly buy whatever he wanted on the train, so he'd just have to starve, he guessed.

It was then that he realized that Kurama was holding a hand out to him, a piece of sushi resting on his palm. There was a wry grin on his face as he told Yuusuke, "I'm pretty sure that it's your stomach that's making that abysmal noise right now, and as I don't want you to drop dead in the compartment, I want you to take some. Right now."

_Is he trying to be funny?_ Yuusuke wondered. He took the piece of sushi and thanked Kurama, who shook it off and told them that he needed to use the latrines, so don't eat too much of his food. As he closed the compartment door after him, Hiei commented bluntly, "He likes you."

"Huh? What gave you that impression?"

Hiei closed his eyes lazily and answered matter-of-factly, "The fact that he actually offered you _his_ inarizushi that _his mother made _and the fact that you took it without him ripping your jaws off proves that. But as he said, don't take too much."

_What… the… fuck?_ Yuusuke decided not to ask, as Hiei seemed comfortable with the answer, and as it was plain from his tone that this was a common thing. Kuwabara, who had been basically ignoring Yuusuke since they'd met, explained in Hiei's stead, "Look, man, it's like this: anyone who takes his sushi is dead, got it? I don't know much more than that; Kurama's got some kinda fetish for sushi. Add to that his devotion to his mother. Anyway, it's a sort of… ritual of his. Does it every year. He asks us whether we would like any and we have to say no… if we don't, well, you don't want to know what happens."

"Uh… huh," Yuusuke said. He took one more piece and willed himself to keep it at that. He'd respect Kurama's… so-called fetish for sushi and creepy, weird ritual. Besides, the first piece, which was like some sort of peace offering according to Hiei and Kuwabara, was enough sustenance. With it, he had gained a friend, and a first lieutenant at that (the sushi had staved off a little bit of his hunger as well). And with Kurama on his side, Hiei (also a first lieutenant) and Kuwabara (a second lieutenant) should be, too. Not that he should assume things, but they were Kurama's _friends_, right? Yuusuke's logic didn't leave room for argument.

Kurama came back freshly washed and smiling queerly. "Only two pieces, Yuusuke? I thought you were hungry."

… _That is not a normal smile. Is it his "ritual smile?" Did he know that Hiei and Kuwabara would tell me about his strange habit? Is he _testing_ me? Er… _"Ahh… it's okay. I'm fine now. See? Not hungry anymore."

Now Kurama's smile changed slightly. _Creepy… you can tell what his emotions are in his smile…this one probably signals relief. Relief! Over his sushi…? He really does have a weird fetish for sushi…and I _was_ being tested…_

Kurama sat down, his long hair still tied up in a loose ponytail that made Yuusuke think he was slightly effeminate, and asked smoothly whether Hiei or Kuwabara would like some. Both declined.

!#$&

Kurama showed Yuusuke and the newer recruits to their new accommodations, as befitted his rank. Hiei took a slightly more advanced group of second lieutenants, and the two first lieutenants joined up in the mess hall. Hiei began speaking first, in a flat voice.

"This is where you eat. There are makeshift tents outside for you to live in; individual tents are harder for the enemy to siege than a single barrack holding ten men. You have thirty minutes at six in the morning to wash, dress, associate, and get breakfast. Training begins promptly at six thirty. Anyone who is late is punished with a part of his ration taken off. Understood?"

They mumbled a reply. "I DIDN'T HEAR YOU!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

"That is not the proper way to salute. You hold arm precisely at _this_ spot in the air, and keep your elbow at a ninety degree angle, and you answer promptly and audibly the next time I ask, DO YOU HEAR ME?"

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

"Pathetic," Hiei shook his head, "but I expect you to improve next time."

_The Civil War doesn't ask for perfection in salutes_, thought Yuusuke dryly. Hiei had all of a sudden changed from the boy teasing Kuwabara with the cat back at the train to a strict, commanding, higher-ranking officer, and they had to obey his orders. _Or what_? Yuusuke wondered. How would they be punished? Kurama now was talking, but he didn't pay attention to him any more. _Hello? I'm working with a limited attention span here._

After the perfectly mundane speech, they were dismissed and assigned separate tents. Thus life in the training camps began.

!#$&

.:_Owari_:.

!#$&

A/N: Okay, I know, crappy ending and maybe Hiei OOCness? I did the entire Kurama/sushi weirdness completely on a whim, so blame me if you like. And I know, the Hiei quote that probably attracted you guys here is not in this chapter. It appears later, in their first battle. If I ever get to it.

Should I continue this or not? I'm not entirely sure I can do this… if I get enough reviews (no specific numbers; I just wanna know if people like my story or not), I'll definitely continue. If not… I don't know.

Review!


	2. April 1, 2, 1862

** Crimson Tourniquet**

By: _Minuiko_

Reminder: This IS going to be angsty, when I get the chance, but for the moment, I'm building up their images. Besides, nothing truly sad's going to happen until at least September of 1862 (people who know what happens on September 17 should know what I'm talking about…)

And **Bluespark**: Yes, I did mean fetish, not fettish (It's changed now). I just typed it wrong because fettish is the way I pronounce it; I pronounce fetish as "fee-tish…" (I know, it's weird, but if you think about it, it's logical) and that reminds me of the not-yet-delivered baby in a mother's womb, the fetus (shudders)… xDD;; and yeah, I am continuing the story. Thanks for correcting that little mistake and for being my first reviewer!

!#&

Chapter Two: April 1, 1862

!#&

"So what do we get to eat?" Yuusuke demanded. Not long after they'd gotten into their tents to take a break from the tours, most of them had come out, their stomachs growling from hunger. Kurama and Hiei, who were the leaders of squad seven (which Yuusuke and Kuwabara were in), must've known that they'd come some time or later, because they were just sitting there, expectant. Besides, Yuusuke had only eaten two pieces of sushi, thanks to Kurama, since he'd been on the train.

Hiei looked at him silently, but his answer was addressed to the group. "You are each given raw materials, and that means you _cook_ your own meals…" there was a groan from everyone, "because you can't expect the women in every camp we break into to cook for us, and besides, how likely is it for you to come across cooked food on your travels when you're out of town? Be glad at least that the materials are there for you now. When we start marching, there won't _be_ any raw materials. You'll need to forage for your own food."

_It's a fair point, _Yuusuke thought grumpily, _but I'm freaking starving here, and I don't WANNA cook my own food like some housemaid, or worse yet, Keiko_. No offense to her or anything. Hiei looked pointedly at Kurama. "First Lieutenant Minamino?"

Kurama smiled and continued, "On a lighter note, you'll be getting _real_ meals and rest every Sunday. We aren't fighting yet, so enjoy every day's rest you have. It may be harsh now, but it'll be much harsher out on the battlefield… so don't take anything for granted. Your materials are in your tents, if you've noticed. Today's ingredients, because it's your first day, are ideally for beef stew (it should be easy to make), but it's really up to you; cook it any way you want. You may eat in the mess hall, and if you know someone who can cook without making the food completely inedible, go ahead and ask him for help. Dismissed."

He was basically predicting impending doom. _Pessimist. _Yuusuke had things he wanted to ask the red-haired first-lieutenant, so he followed Kurama. He had to run to catch up with Kurama's stride as he went to his own designated tent, which he shared with Hiei. He put his hand on Kurama's shoulder, turning the taller boy around. "Oi, Kurama! What do _you_ get to eat?"

He had a feeling that Kurama, with his higher rank, would get better food. Probably. Bastard.

"Same as you," Kurama replied smoothly. Yuusuke didn't know if he was lying or not, but _he_ couldn't cook, and he _didn't want to_. Kurama then searched Yuusuke's face to see if he was sporting any disbelief or accusation. He wasn't. Kurama then smiled and offered, "You and Kuwabara could join Hiei and me at our table… you've never cooked before?"

Yuusuke turned faintly red and shook his head. Kurama shook his head and told him, "You'll need to learn. I'm not saying that you'll get into this kind of situation, but it's best to be prepared. Oh, I'm definitely not going to be cooking _for_ you, but I'm willing to teach you how. It's not that hard. The hardest part is probably remembering how much of what to put in to make it taste good; of course, if you're not bothered by the taste, then by all means, throw everything in there and make do with whatever results from it."

Again, Yuusuke wasn't sure what Kurama's last statement meant. _Is he trying to be funny again?_ If so, he had a rather dry sense of humor. Of course, he could've been insinuating that Yuusuke couldn't cook and if he tried to do so without teaching, the result would be horrible, but then again, he reminded himself, he _couldn't_ cook anyways. "Ah. Thanks, man."

Kurama shook his head again, smiling. "You should get your things, and tell Kuwabara to come too, will you?"

"…Sure."

!#&

"Yuusuke, you put too much sugar in."

"Can't help it, man. I'm a farm boy, whaddya expect? We have little to no sugar on the farm. It's some kind of delicacy to us."

"Yes, well, I can't really help with that. But I'd think you'd rather keep the sugar outside the beef stew? Save it for something else. We get rations, you know. We need food to keep the soldiers who have already fought in shape, and for them to share it with trainees…"

They were too happy, Hiei thought. He didn't even know what drew Kurama to this farm boy, although he himself would be termed gutter scum. He scoffed. Kurama was born to a rich family, but he didn't judge by money or ties; he judged by how interesting the person was. Kuwabara was middle-classed, and his candid frankness (what Hiei termed as "stupidity") might've been something of merit. But Yuusuke was nothing special. Not compared to him, at least. Great. _Now I'm thinking like that aristocratic snob_, he thought. He reasoned with himself as his own stew boiled: he didn't even know Yuusuke, and Kurama had a better eye for interesting people than he did. Since he hadn't seen the boy in training, he couldn't really judge Yuusuke's character. He'd just have to watch and see.

"Hey, Hiei."

Hiei turned an impassive face to Yuusuke. His brown eyes were dancing wickedly. "I wanted to know… just who is Yukina? She your girlfriend or something?"

Hiei's pupils dilated slightly, not that anyone other than Kurama would notice. Kuwabara definitely didn't. He was in his own happy little corner, stirring his pot of stew rapidly like some crazed maniac. The red-haired boy himself was apparently minding his own business, also stirring his pot of stew, but Hiei could sense an air of amusement around him. He was listening. Damn him. "Why do you want to know?"

Yuusuke blinked, but his answer didn't answer Hiei's initial question. "Then she _is_ your girlfriend?"

Hiei had stiffened, instantly regretting not answering the younger boy the first time he'd asked; he supposed that the implications were reasonable, but they were _wrong_. He was just thankful that he hadn't knocked over his pot of simmering stew while his hand instantly reacted to the question, ready to throttle Yuusuke for even daring to assume such a thought. He controlled himself and demanded, "What makes you think that?"

Again, Yuusuke didn't answer his question. "Are you and Kuwabara fighting over this girl? I saw him stiffen when Kurama's mother," his eyes flicked briefly to Kurama, to see if he'd taken offense or even looked up or not; Kurama's eyes were still fixed on his stew, "said that Yukina sent her love."

Ah, so that was what had sparked the question in the first place. _I told Kurama to tell his mother to stop babying me. Damn woman won't listen. _Hiei finally bit out, "I'm Yukina's _brother_."

"Oh. So that's it. I… I see. Wait, that still doesn't explain Kuwabara."

_Do I need to spell it out for you, dimwit?_ Hiei thought, only mildly angry now, but somewhat exasperated. Kurama answered for him, smiling, "They don't like each other very much, so the very thought of them being potential in-laws renders them speechless. Don't worry, as long as you're not caught in the crossfire, you'll be fine."

_He acts like I'm some kind of demon. _"Would you shut up? And I'd prefer it if Kuwabara didn't want to marry my sister at all."

"You see?" _Kurama sounds too smug._

"Wait, wait, so that means that _Kuwabara_ is courting Yukina?"

Yuusuke wouldn't stop asking questions, and Kurama didn't seem to mind at all. This was getting on his nerves. _Now I know why Kurama took a liking to him. He's just like Kuwabara. He. Can't. Keep. His. Mouth. SHUT_. "Yes! Now drop the subject." Hiei looked Yuusuke over, from slicked-back raven hair to worn, unpolished boot, and added quietly, "That's an order."

Yuusuke blinked again, smiled, and resigned. Kurama's amused look drifted from Hiei's face to Yuusuke's, then finally to their pots of stew. "I'm sorry, Yuusuke." Yuusuke blinked. Kurama's voice was regretful, but amusedly so. "I was supposed to teach you how to cook."

"Ehh? Oh shit… DAMN IT! IT'S BURNT!"

!#&

Yuusuke crawled into his makeshift tent bed, pondering. Kurama and Hiei sure were weird. Thankfully, Kurama and Kuwabara had shared their stew with him (Kurama's tasted better), so that turned out okay, but he thought that it was strange for Kurama to be the first one to come up and make friends with him; he'd already had several friends of his own, so what good could Yuusuke do to him? Still, he was glad that Kurama _had_ made friends with him. _He's really… sushi fetish and all… a nice guy. I don't know much about him, but he's nice. _And while he couldn't read Hiei that well, he was pretty sure, despite appearances, that the older boy had taken no offense from his blunder; he was irritated, but not hostile. Kuwabara didn't seem worth mentioning. He hadn't said one word to Yuusuke while they were eating, besides the gruff, "Here, take some of my stew," and the loud, "G'night," which was addressed to everyone there, so that didn't count.

Yuusuke frowned. Kurama had insinuated that Kuwabara was very articulate, candid, honest, loud… so why was he so quiet? He yawned and decided not to think about it right then. Within moments, his snores joined those of his already sleeping squad members in their separate tents.

!#&

April 2, 1862

!#&

Yuusuke woke up to Kuwabara splashing freezing water on his face (to his irritation) and exclaiming right next to his ear, "Oi, Urameshi, wake up!"

He growled and punched the orange-haired boy's face, leaving a black eye and several suggestive bruises. "What the hell was that for!"

Kuwabara had covered his bruised eye with his large hand. "Bastard! You didn't have to punch me! And it's six-twenty, that's why I woke you up. _First Lieutenant_ Jaganshi told us to wake at six. I didn't want to ruin your _beauty sleep_, but I didn't think you'd want your rations taken off either!"

Yuusuke muttered under his breath and demanded as he dressed, just for the sake of argument, "I didn't ask why you woke me up, I asked why you had to frikkin' splash cold water on me and yell into my ear!"

"'Cause you were sleeping like a rock, that's why! Did you know that I screamed for you to wake up twelve times before I decided to resort to that?"

"Great, so that's why my eardrums hurt so damn much. Whatever, jerk, just get out! I'm changing! You ruined my sleep, so at least give me some _privacy_!"

Kuwabara grumbled but complied. Yuusuke realized, as he was mopping his wet, _cold _face, that Kuwabara was actually very articulate, like Kurama had said. He was loud, clumsy, painfully honest… but dependable. Kuwabara was right, Yuusuke really _didn't _want his rations taken off. But the orange-haired boy was so silent the other day… something other than his natural communicative tendencies must have triggered that. Yuusuke grinned as he pulled his coat on and stepped outside. _I wonder if it has to do with Yukina?_

He quickly got breakfast (it was one of the meals they weren't required to cook; apparently, that particular lesson was for lunch and dinner only. Breakfast, someone told him, was the most important meal of the day, and the higher-ups didn't want them to faint during training because of inedible food cooked by incompetent men who had never cooked in their lives), gulped it down, and joined his other squad members in the training hall. Each squad had their own separate training halls; there were only eleven squads in this camp. There were other training camps scattered all over the North, but they had considerably more men; this one camp was special for some reason, with only ninety-something men.

Hiei paced back and forth until the last man arrived; there were nine of them in all, counting Hiei and Kurama. Hiei was bare-chested, wearing only long black pants and a metal belt. Kurama was also loosely dressed, donning only a light, white, long-sleeved shirt made of some kind of thin material and pants similar to Hiei's only it was white. Hiei looked at them with a critical eye, frowning. "You're all dressed too warmly for this."

They all looked at one another, then back to Hiei and Kurama. Kurama defended them unnecessarily, "They didn't know how hard your training was going to be, so it's not their fault," but Hiei merely snorted and told them to take their thick shirts and coats off and to recite their names, ages, and hobbies, grumbling under his breath about how the last was a waste of time but standard procedure to instigate "friendly relations."

Yuusuke was the third to go. The first man, a tall, muscular man of an age that ranged from twenty to thirty (he couldn't tell how old he was) told them, "Chuu. Don't got a last name, mates, me ma was an illiterate an' didn't know who my father was. She kinda got 'round, if ya know what I mean. I'm twenty-nine, I like a good wrestle."

The next man, or boy rather— he looked far too young to be in the room, let along the army— piped up, "Rinku. I'm Chuu's little brother," the whole room was silent, as the two looked nothing alike… but then again, their mother was a prostitute, wasn't she? "I'm fourteen, believe it or not, and I like playing with yo-yos."

"Yuusuke Urameshi. I'm sixteen, and I like fist-fighting, when I can get the chance. I'm mostly cooped up in the barn, though. Family has to make a living, yeah?"

Well, they'd find out he was poor and from a farm sooner or later; besides, Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara already knew. He really did like fighting though— he liked the excitement and the feeling of rushing at his opponent he got from it— but he seldom got the chance to, unless he went to town and Keiko wasn't there. He'd never really gotten hurt from it either.

"Kazuma Kuwabara, sixteen. I like Yukina…" His face took on a goofy look as Hiei scowled at him and told the next man to start talking.

The next man, who was bare-chested on Hiei's orders but still wearing a fancy getup both on his legs and on his face, had a retarded answer, in Yuusuke's opinion anyway. "I am the beautiful Suzuka. My full name is Suzuka Shinzenbi. You don't need to know my age, because that would ruin my entire image of beauty. People judge too much on age. I enjoy looking into the mirror and worshiping my perfection, applying makeup, and inventing things, and I want to one day become famous enough for people all over the world to—"

Hiei growled and interrupted, "That's enough. Next."

The next was a short, rather plump black-haired boy around Yuusuke's age. "Uraurishima Ama. I'm seventeen and I like fishing."

And Yuusuke's oh-so-narcissistic landlord's son. "Shishiwakamaru Utsukushii. Eighteen. I enjoy granting benevolence to my underlings. Anyone who is not grateful to me is a fool. I think I'm a generous enough lord, but I do NOT tolerate a servant who does not obey his master," and he looked, one eyebrow raised, at Yuusuke. Yuusuke rolled his eyes and looked at Hiei, who started talking.

"I am first lieutenant Hiei Jaganshi, and that's all you need to know about me. I do not tolerate slackers."

Kurama smiled at Hiei, shaking his head, and told them, "I'm first lieutenant Kurama Shuuichi Minamino. Hiei and I are both eighteen," Hiei threw him a dirty look, but Kurama ignored it, "and I enjoy growing plants of all kind. Roses are my favorite kind of plant."

That last statement began a wave of snickering through the group, which Hiei silenced with a harsh glare. He then told the trainees, "You will assemble here swiftly and silently each morning. I have no problems with putting a man of lower rank who disobeys me into the hospital. We may need all the men we can get, but we do not need disobedient or cowardly men who would betray us to the enemy should his own life be threatened. I hope you're clear on that point?"

Salute. "SIR, YES, SIR!"

"Better. This is where your training begins. I want a total of fifty push-ups today, in addition to one hundred sit-ups, ten pull-ups, and a run of two miles through the forest nearby; the track is marked, so you'll know how much you've ran. I don't care when you finish, so long as it's within…" Hiei looked at his watch. "forty-five minutes as of now. We will be watching your every move," he added, his scarlet eyes glinting dangerously. "You may begin."

!#&

_.:Owari:._

!#&

A/N: Well, I'm done… I wrote seven pages, like the last chapter. XD

Thanks for reviewing, **Zeila** **E**! Uraurishima's last name means fisherman, and Shishi's and Suzuka's have something to do with beauty. I didn't know what to do with Chuu's and Rinku's, so I just made them siblings with a prostitute mother and illegitimate fathers (sweatdrops). I just went to and looked up the other names. Hehe. It's really useful.

Tell me if I made any mistakes…

Review!


	3. April 2, 1862

Crimson Tourniquet

**Crimson Tourniquet**

By: _Minuiko_

Ack, long time no update. Sorry. And **Zeila E**, no, Kuwabara's not married to Yukina, he's engaged, and Hiei -really- doesn't like that xD. By the way, whatever's bothering Kuwabara's going to be revealed in this chapter.

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Chapter Three: April 2, 1862

&

"That. Was _pathetic_." Hiei spat. "Of all of you, only three passed, and only one of you did a halfway decent job of it. Two miles should take less than ten minutes, sit-ups two, push-ups two, and pull-ups one. That's fifteen minutes, for your information. Some of you passed the time limit. _Pathetic_," Hiei repeated.

Yuusuke was the one who'd done a "halfway decent job." He'd run the two miles in around seventeen minutes— he was used to walking to town from his farm (they were separated by at least five miles apart) so he was pretty much used to it, but what Hiei was asking for, less than ten— that was _crazy_. His hundred sit-ups were done in three minutes, and he took a two-minute break. After that, he did the fifty push-ups (he never like push-ups), cursing Hiei's mother and father and wishing they'd never met or married to have Hiei— _is he legitimate or not? —_, but he did them anyway, and he'd had maybe thirty minutes left to do the pull-ups. It wasn't hard, really. But the other people were struggling, particularly Shishi, who'd probably never lifted a finger to help in the household before, and Uraurishima, who looked like he could afford to skip the dinner time pudding once in a while.

Kuwabara and Chuu had finished as well, well after Yuusuke had, obviously, but they'd finished. Rinku, with his short legs, took particularly long on the run and he couldn't complete the pull-ups with his weak arms and he'd eventually given up. Hiei didn't pick on him, though; the one he reserved his speech for was Suzuka and Shishiwakamaru. His voice was quiet but dangerous. "Can you tell me what the standards are for this kind of exercise, Cadet Shinzenbi, Cadet Utsukushii?"

Shishi was still breathing hard, saying angrily, "We only made it a few minutes out of the hour, it doesn't—"

"Who's your commanding officer, boy? Tell me, _who _is your commanding officer?" His voice was dangerously low; a wrong answer could result in death.

Shishi's eyes flickered at Hiei for a moment before he muttered sullenly, "You. First Lieutenant Jaganshi."

"That's right, boy. Now, Cadet, when your commanding officer asks you a question, do you make excuses or do you answer him?" It was perfectly rhetorical, but Hiei seemed determined to nail that fact into Shishi's head. He was the same age as Shishi but had an aura around him that just commanded respect for years of experience that everyone else did not have, and he got it.

"I answer him. Sir."

"So you're not so dense after all," Hiei said.

"Thank you, sir." Shishi was biting his lip but he forced this out in a pseudo polite voice.

"Now, the standards for the exercise, if you've been paying attention at all?"

"Ten minutes for two miles, two each for a hundred sit-ups and push-ups, and one for ten pull-ups."

Hiei smirked with a "I'm glad you were listening, Cadet," and turned his attention onto the rest of them. "Alright, I lied when I said that your training begins here. It really begins next week; this week we are merely seeing how much work we have ahead of us. Starting next week, when you don't finish your rounds, you stay after for extra practice until you can do things in a timely manner. We will be introducing new training techniques every day, until you have mastered the most modern warring techniques. Today we will be testing your physical capabilities. Tomorrow, we test your aim in shooting and your knowledge of weapons. By the end of the week, we will have tested every category of warfare, including artillery, small arms, edged weapons, survival techniques, first aid, and of course, strength and endurance of both the body and mind, which included how quickly you react to unexpected situations and in what manner you do so."

"And after that," he added, "we will place you into groups based on your knowledge, skills, and the amount of practice you need. We have a tentative two months until we're needed by the country, and I expect –every- one of you to be proficient in every area of war. Do you hear me?"

"SIR, YES, SIR."

"Thirty minute recess. Report back here at eight. We will see your knowledge of different exercises from then until eleven. Eleven to twelve is your lunch break, but remember, we'll be reducing it by a minute each day until it's about fifteen minutes (including the time you need to cook), because you need to get used to all kinds of extremes in war. After that is Kurama's turn. He will tell you what you will be doing."

Pause. "Dismissed."

_Well, that wasn't so bad_, Yuusuke thought. It wasn't nearly as horrible as he thought it would be, but then again, Hiei did say they were only testing the first week, which implied that he was letting them all off easy. Yuusuke grinned impishly, and put an arm around Hiei's shoulder, saying dramatically, "And after the longest speech our noble midget first lieutenant has ever made—"

Hiei growled, "Shut up. It was a requirement from the authorities that I explain everything."

Yuusuke said, "Oh? Then why didn't you have Kurama explain everything then?"

Kurama explained softly, "This is Hiei's area of expertise. He's more… physically attuned to battle than I am, so he's more fit to explain it."

"Meaning he has no _authority_ in the matter," Hiei drawled.

"I suppose so," Kurama laughed.

"Hey, Hiei, your accent…" Yuusuke said, noticing that there was a strange quality in the way he spoke. He couldn't quite place the accent, but it sounded familiar…

"What accent?" Hiei said, tensing up.

"Nothing… just for a moment, it sounded… never mind, forget it."

He noticed that Kurama's smile looked rather plastic, and Hiei had a lack of one altogether. Maybe it was a touchy subject for them? There were a lot of things he didn't know about them, but it seemed rude to ask now. He tried to change the subject. "Oh, hey, uh, what's up? With Kuwabara, I mean. He was all quiet yesterday."

"Quiet?" Kurama said, amused. "Maybe you should ask him. Wouldn't it be better to find out directly from him rather than to get several misguided conjectures from us?"

Hiei was silent, and Yuusuke wasn't so dense as to not get the hint: he was dismissed. "Um, right. I'll try to find him. See you at eight."

&

"What do you think, Hiei…?" Kurama said.

"What do I think what?" _Not that I don't know._

"Are you going to tell him?" _About your past, I mean. _" He's a friend, he has a right to know."

"I've known him for less than two days. Friend? Don't make me laugh. I've known you since forever and I still don't think of you as friend." _I don't! Stop laughing, Kurama. _

Kurama smiled, forgiving the remark. _I don't need a confirmation from you of whether I am or am not a friend. We've always been together, and we always will. That's enough for me._

Hiei flinched at the unconditional devotion he saw in those green eyes. The fact that they could read each other's minds before they said anything gave him a feeling of intimacy that scared him, but what could he do about it? This was Kurama. Kurama was the one thing he couldn't get rid of, even had he wanted to.

"Are you going to tell him about Kuwabara, then?"

"Hn." _He'll find out himself. Kuwabara sucks at keeping secrets. Unless Urameshi's actually stupid enough not to figure it out._

Kurama laughed. _Funny thing. I thought you didn't pay attention to him?_

Hiei growled. _Shut up. I have to pay attention to my squad members, don't I, rich boy?_

Kurama beamed. _Sure. Oh, what a nuisance._

Hiei's left eyebrow arched. _What?_

_Nothing, just reminiscing. If it weren't for 'that,' I could be calling you that, too, Master Hiei._

Ah, yes. And Kurama was the only person who could call him that, and remind him of 'that' (technically, he hadn't said it aloud, but their technique had been perfected so flawlessly that they could even convey titles (Master) and general ideas such as love, hate, life, all through their expressions.) without dying a slow and painful death. He preferred not to think about his past. Kurama constantly said that to accept the past was the first step towards healing, but forgetting it was so much easier. Besides, for the present, he was "First-lieutenant Jaganshi." Everything else didn't matter.

_Don't bring 'that' up. You know how I feel about it. _

_Yes, I know. I'm just warning you…_

"It's inevitable," Kurama said aloud. "It's going to be brought up sooner or later. Just be prepared to answer him when he ask, because he _is _going to ask."

_I know that, too, moron. _

_Oh? Are you going to tell him the truth then?_

_Who knows. _"Let's go."

&

"Yo, Kuwabara. Kuwabara!"

Kuwabara's gaze was fixed on a tall, slender squad six member with honey-colored hair tucked into his cap and large hazel eyes who was laughing with the rest of his teammates and leisurely smoking a cigarette. Yuusuke smirked. Kuwabara was sweating; he was either love-struck or extremely nervous for some other reason. "Hey, Kuwabara, I didn't know you were into that!"

Kuwabara yelped, just noticing him for the first time. "What? I'm into what?"

"You got the hots for that guy? Well, I'm straight, so I don't know, but if I were gay, he'd be downright sexy. Like he would be a total babe, if he was a girl. He looks kinda like Kurama, don't you think? The long, silky hair, those large come-hither eyes, that slender form?"

Yuusuke coughed. Maybe he was pushing it. He almost sounded like _he_ was into men by the way he was carrying on. Kuwabara, meanwhile, had turned a faint shade of puce. "W-wha— _what_? What're you doing on about, man? Don't tell me you're… a _fag_?"

"Nah, but you certainly seem to be."

"_Excuse me_? With who? Under what accusations?" He seemed to be getting hysterical. Yuusuke snickered helplessly.

"With _that _guy in sixth squad." Yuusuke pointed in his direction.

Kuwabara's eyes bulged. "_THAT GUY? Are you nuts, man?_"

The guy with the honey-colored hair finally noticed them, and walked over with quick steps, asking with a husky, between-deep-and-high voice, "What seems to be the problem here? Kazuma?"

_Holy shit, he's even calling Kuwabara by his first name! What's going on between the two of them?_

"S-say, Shizuru, whaddyou say you let me work this one out and you go back to your table? It's nothing important."

"Well, it's disturbing our break. Whatever it is, Kazu, just get it over with somewhere else and _stop stalking me_. I'll be fine."

He took a drag of his cigarette and sauntered off. Yuusuke grinned widely. "_Kazu_? _Stalking_? I don't believe it. It's a regular remake of beauty and the beast!"

"Urameshi, that's my older brother!"

Yuusuke was taken aback. "…What?"

"_He's _my freaking brother! What is it with you?"

"… Well, then why were you getting all hot and worked up when you saw him with the other guys?"

"Because! Because I didn't expect him to make it through his first day, that's all! Can't a guy even take care of his brother without his stupid teammates butting in?"

Yuusuke frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Why would you need to take care of your older brother, and why wouldn't you expect him to make it through his first day? And why don't I see _any _family resemblance in you two? He is clearly a pretty boy, while _you—_"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Hiei interrupted, just arriving on the spot. "We could hear you from a hundred meters away."

"Yes, he was counting," Kurama put in brightly. "And I noticed, Yuusuke, that you have an uncanny knack for mislabeling siblings as lovers. It'll get you in trouble someday."

"Oh yeah," Yuusuke laughed. "Sorry 'bout that whole Yukina thing, Hiei. My bad."

"Whatever," Hiei said shortly. "It's eight a.m."

"Oh, yeah! Um, see you guys there. I gotta use the can."

"And why didn't you before? You get demerit points for every time you're not prompt," Kurama said.

"I'll be there!"

As Yuusuke ran off, Kuwabara sighed and said, "Thanks guys. I owe you one."

"It's not a light secret to keep. Of course, for someone like Yuusuke… he's observant, all right, he just somehow comes to the wrong conclusions about things, which cut you a lucky break. Your sister would be pissed if you revealed her secret this early in the game."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks."

"No problem," Kurama said. "Now let's get to practice."

&

_.:Tsuzuku:._

&

A/N: It may have seemed a little boring, but things are not what they seem… or maybe they are. I'm in a D. Grayman/FMA/Death Note obsession right now, and YYH just seems a little… distant to me now. I may not even get anywhere with this story. Just a warning. I have a total of six (I think) unfinished stories total… and I'm planning on starting another one, but as a gift fic for a friend, so I'll definitely have to finish that one.

Haha, Shizuru is disguised as a guy in the army, and Yuusuke was too dense to notice. x3 I guess Kurama's femininity is good for something.

Review!


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